The present invention relates to a cutting pen for cutting a cutting target medium, a cutting plotter, and a blade extension amount control method of a cutting plotter.
To cut a sheet-shaped cutting target medium into a predetermined shape, a cutting plotter as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-78813 (to be referred to as “literature 1” hereinafter) or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-10595 (to be referred to as “literature 2” hereinafter) is used. A cutting plotter of this type employs an arrangement that cuts a cutting target medium using a cutting pen with a blade projecting.
A cutting pen disclosed in literature 1 includes a cylindrical cutting pen main body, a cutter provided at the center of the cutting pen main body, and a cylindrical cap with a closed bottom, which threadably engages with one end of the cutting pen main body. The cutter has a blade at one end, and is rotatably supported by the cutting pen main body in a state in which the blade projects from the one end of the cutting pen main body. A through hole configured to pass the b lade of the cutter is provided in the bottom of the cap. When the cap is screwed into the cutting pen main body, the blade passes through the through hole of the cap and projects from the cap.
This cutting pen is used in a state in which the blade projects from the cap. The projection amount of the blade projecting from the cap changes as the cap is rotated with respect to the cutting pen main body. The projection amount of the blade projecting from the cap will simply be referred to as a “blade extension amount” hereinafter.
The blade extension amount is adjusted by fitting a jig on the cap and rotating the cap with respect to the cutting pen main body together with the jig. The jig has an index to be aligned with each of the marks of blade extension amounts provided on the cutting pen main body. When the jig rotates up to a position where the index aligns with a mark on the cutting pen main body, the blade projects from the cap in a blade extension amount corresponding to the mark.
A cutting pen disclosed in literature 2 can change the blade extension amount in a state in which it is attached to a cutting plotter. The cap of the cutting pen is provided with a pinion gear. The pinion gear is formed into a shape that extends on the outer surface of the cap in the circumferential direction.
In this cutting pen, the blade extension amount is adjusted by moving the cutting pen along the rack of the cutting plotter in a state in which the pinion gear meshes with the rack. The rack is provided on a projecting portion of the cutting plotter. The projecting portion is formed to the same height as the cutting pen and arranged near a work stage on which a cutting target medium is placed.
In the cutting pen described in literature 1, the user manually rotates the cap together with the jig to align the index on the jig with the mark on the cutting pen main body, thereby adjusting the blade extension amount. If the user visually determines whether the index aligns with the mark in this way, the position to stop the jig is incorrect, and the accuracy of the blade extension amount is low. If the blade extension amount is too small, the cutting target medium cannot reliably be cut. If the blade extension amount is too large, the blade may break.
According to the cutting pen described in literature 2, the blade extension amount can be adjusted independently of determination of the user. However, this cutting pen cannot correctly adjust the blade extension amount without using the cutting plotter.
Additionally, in the cutting plotter described in literature 2, the cutting pen is pressed against the rack on the projecting portion when adjusting the blade extension amount. The projecting portion is provided near the work stage, and therefore, interferes with a user's work of placing a cutting target medium on the work stage or extracting a cutting target medium after a process.